The roof (i.e., lid, cover, or the like) of an EAF may be made of steel or other like metal that is water-cooled, made of refractory material, or have sections made of steel that are water-cooled, sections made of refractory material, or sections made of both steel and refractory material (e.g., outer steel roofs with inner refractory material). Roofs having refractory material are designed with a thermal conductivity and thickness of the refractory material such that the refractory material acts as an insulator to prevent heat within the EAF from escaping and damaging components located on the outside of the EAF (e.g., EAF outer walls, electrical components for the electrodes, exhaust ducts, or the like). The refractory material is exposed to various sources of heat that may cause damage to the refractory material, and thus wear away the refractory material. For example, the refractory material may be damaged by heat created by the arc of the electrode, by heat created in the chemical reaction in the conversion of CO to CO2 as the CO rises in the furnace, combusts, and is converted to CO2, and by the heat created by the combustion of gas injected into the EAF. The roof is especially susceptible to damage when the EAF is filled with scrap steel and the arc formed between the electrodes and scrap steel is located near the roof of the furnace (e.g., during the beginning of melting process in single charge EAFs or after each charge of scrap steel in EAFs that receive multiple charges).